Self-locking door-clamp for cotton-presses.



Patented July 23, I90l.

.1. A. WESTBRODK.

SELF LOCKING DOOR CLAMP FOB COTTON PRESSES.

(Application flied Apr. 24, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 678,923. Patented July 23, l90l.

J. A. WESTBROOK.

SELF LOCKING DOOR CLAIP FOR COTTON PBESSES.

(Application filed Apr. 24, 1901. (No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

25 Wii asses JAj VESTfi 004, 1 82 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ALBURT WESTBROOK, OF MASON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TOBENJAMIN F. GOOOH, OF SAME PLACE.

SELF-LOCKING DOOR-CLAMP FOR COTTON-PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 678,923, dated July23, 1901.

Application filed April 24, 1901. Serial No. 57.306.- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J onN ALBURT Wnsu. BROOK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Mason, in the county of Mason and State ofTexas,have invented a new and useful Self-LockingDoor-Olamp forCotton-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton-presses; and it has for one object toprovide in a press having hinged side walls a simple and efficient lock:which when in position will hold the side walls or doors securely inclosed position, while when it is desired to open the press orbaling-chamber for application of the ties or to remove the bale thedoors may be easily and quickly released.

A further and important object of the invention is to so construct andarrange the locking mechanism that the doors will be directly engagedinwardly from their sides, and thus the tendency to bowing of the doorsand the consequent ill-shaped bales will be prevented.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of a baling-press withthe doorlocking mechanism in operative position. Fig. 2 is averticalsection taken in the plane of one of the strap-irons to whichthe latchhooks are pivoted, the iron being in elevation and thelatch-hooks being shown one in engaged position and the other indisengaged position. Fig. 3 is a view showing in perspective the strapor tie iron, the members of the latch-hook, the lever for the hook, theadjacent head-blocks, and the means for holding the strap or tie iron tothe head-blocks, these several elements being shown disassembled. Fig. 4is a detail view showing portions of the head-beams of the press withthe headblocks therebelow and the arrangement and manner of attachingthe strap-iron or tie-iron.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a portion of abaling-press for cotton or other material and which includes the sillsSand 6, disposed parallel and having vertical posts or tie-rods areconnected at their lower ends by the links 12, having eyes at theirends, which receive the posts or rods, thus holding the sills againstoutward displacement.

Upon the links 12 are disposed the cylindrical ends of the pivot-beams13 and 14 of the doors 15 and -16, said doors consisting each of twovertical boards 17 connected at their upper ends by the transverse beams18, which project at their ends beyond the sides of the boards to restagainst the ends of the transverse beams 19 at the upper ends of thesides 20 of the press, these beams, as shown, being on the outer facesof the doors and sides, the beams 19 lying against the outer side edgesof the boards 17, which latter stand against the outer side edges of thesides 20. The sides 20 have pivot-beams 21 and 22 secured to their outerfaces at the lower ends thereof, the cylindrical end portions lying uponthe corresponding portions of the beams 13 and 14:, so that the sidesand door may be swung outwardly.

Against the under sides of the beams 10 and 11 are secured two pairs oftransverse head-blocks 23 and 24, the blocks of each pair beingseparated by an interspace sufiicient to receive the strap-iron25,having a suflicient length to project from the ends of the headblocksand above the beams 18, against the upper faces of which they areadapted to lie, while they terminate about midway of the sides thereof.To the ends of the strap-irons are pivoted the latchhooks. 'Eachstrapiron has aperforation therethrough near each end to receive thepivots of the hook-plates, of which there are two for each end of theiron and disposed one at each side thereof. Each hook-plate is in theform of a right angle or angle-iron, and when moved pivotally downwardlytheplates forming each hook are 27, which when the plates are inengaging. positions lie below the wear-plate and pre vent upwarddisplacement of the plates, and to move the hook-plates so as to drawthe lugs from behind the wear-plates and then to swing the hook-platesupwardly to free the bills from the doors to permit them to swing openlevers are provided. A lever 28 l is provided for each pair ofhook-plates form ing one hook and is pivoted between the ex-;

treme ends of the bills of the plates, the lever being of such length asto reach slightly above the beam 18 adjacent thereto, so that,

when the lower end of the lever is swung outwardly the lever bears uponthe beam as 'a fulcrum and the door is pressed inwardly and at the sametime the hook is raised, as shown in Fig. 2. If desired, the levers ateach side may he formed integral, or they may have no connecting-web 29.To hold the strap-irons in place, clips 30 are used and are passedupwardly through the head-blocks at the sides of the irons, so thattheir Web portions lie across the irons, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In practice modifications of the Sp cific construction shown may be madeand any suitable materials andfproportions may be used for the variousparts without departingv from the spirit of the invention. Further-'more, it will be noted that each lever has a transverse pin 31, whichlimits the upward pivotal movement of the lever by striking against theadjacent hook-plates,"and that while the doors when moved toward .theirclosed-positions will hold the lever with the hooks raised as soon asthe doors are moved to closed positions the weight of the levers causesthem to drop and permit the hooksto drop into engaging-positions.

What is claimed is s 1. Ina baling-press, the combination with themovable doors,of latch-hooks disposed for pivotalmovement into and outof engagement over the upper ends and against the outer faces of thedoors, each of said hooks including spaced plates, and a lever pivotedbetween the plates of each hook and disposed to engage the door as afulcrum to raise the hook from the door. 7 I

2. In a baling-press, the combination with a movable door of alatch-hook disposed for pivotal movement into and out of engagement withthe 'outerface of the door, a wear plate upon the outer face of the doorand over which the hook is adapted to engage, and a lever pivoted to thehook and disposed to engage the door to move the door to carry the platefrom the hook and to move the hook pivotally from over the door.

A bal ing-press having oppositely-disposed movable doors, he'ad-blocksdisposed in pairs transversely of and above the doors, strap-ironsdisposed between the blocks of each pair, hook-plates pivoted againstoppo site faces of each end of each strap-iron and adapted forengagement over the adjacent doors, and levers pivoted between the freeends of the hook-plates and disposed to lie against the doors asfulcrums to disengage the hook-plates from thedoors.

et. The combination with a balingpress comprising movable doors,head-blocks disposed'transversely of and above the doors in spacedpairs, strap-irons disposed between the blocks of each pairg'clipspassed transversely of the'strap-irons and engaged with the head-blocks,and hooks pivoted to the ironsfor engagement over the outer faces of thedoors and levers pivoted to the free'ends of the'hooks and extendingtherebeyond to engage the doors as fulcrums to disengage the hooks fromthe doors.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signaturein the presence'of two witnesses.

. JOHN ALBURT WESTBROOK. Witnesses:

J T. STAPLETON,

D.H. MEEK.

